UPDATE: Police have 33-year-old Merlin resident Aaron Ponchart in custody. Police obtained and served a search warrant on the 100 block of Holbrook Way. They found and arrested Ponchart at that time.
Police restated it appears the suspect and victim were involved in an argument prior to the shooting.
Grants Pass, Ore. – Police are investigating an early morning shooting that occurred in the Grants Pass Walmart parking lot.
The Grants Pass Department of Public Safety said calls reporting the shooting began to come in around 1:35 Tuesday morning.
When first responders arrived at the scene, they found 29-year-old Coty Whitten on the ground with a gunshot wound to the abdomen.
He was taken to the hospital for further treatment. Whitten was released from surgery around 9:00 a.m., but his overall condition is not known.
Police believe Whitten was involved with an argument with the assailant before he was shot.
According to GPDPS, more information may be released if it becomes available. Details about the suspect have not yet been officially released.
Anyone with information is asked to call police at 541-450-6260.
[This article has been updated to correct information regarding Whitten’s medical condition.]
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